Business leaders from across the Southeastern United States and Canada gathered in Mobile this week to explore trade and investment opportunities, with one topic casting a shadow over the talks: newly announced steel and aluminum tariffs.
The meeting marks the 11th year of a special trade relationship between Canada and six southeastern states, including Alabama. “The relationship between the southeast and Canada is strong, it is deep, it is broad,” said Nadia Theodore, Consul General of Canada for the Southeast United States.
Tariffs Loom Over the Talks
President Donald Trump had announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada just days before the summit, and the issue came up repeatedly in discussions. “Canada is Alabama’s number one trade partner,” said Greg Canfield, the Alabama Secretary of Commerce, who called this “a very opportune time” to discuss the partnership.
Governor Kay Ivey said she planned to raise the state’s concerns directly with the president. “I have a good working relationship with President Trump and I certainly look forward to again letting him know our firm standings in support of the firms we have in our state that use those products,” Ivey said.
Canfield pointed to the depth of the Alabama-Canada relationship: a net export gain for the state, co-assembled vehicles, shared technology, and the Airbus-Bombardier C Series project that officials hope to see finalized in Mobile. Eric Marquis of the Quebec government noted that steel and aluminum make up about 15 percent of Canadian exports to the United States, much of it flowing into southeastern states like Alabama and Tennessee.
Officials said it was too soon to say whether the tariffs would affect the Airbus-Bombardier project, but Canadian representatives warned the measures would have a disruptive effect on the broader trade relationship.